Farseeing Eyes
by Alaena F. Dragonstar
Summary: Their lives as ninja. The ups, the downs, surprises and best laid plans. -Set in the Naruto World, but no knowledge of Naruto required- :Mainly KaiShin with some others:
1. Set 1: Meetings

Notes: Okay, this is experimental for me, but I had fun doing these. This uses the Naruto world very loosely as a backdrop but you don't need to know anything about Naruto or its characters because, well, it's only very loosely related. For the same reason there may be some discrepancies with Naruto. Please forgive me for that but I may have tweaked things to fit the story—and because this presumes that the war is over.

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK or Naruto.

Pairings: Mainly KaiShin, but includes some HakuRan and references to HeiKazu

Extremely simplified glossary for Naruto terms you might want to know:

Chakra = A kind of life energy used to perform specialized techniques

Gennin/Chuunin/Jounin/Kage = Listed in ascending order, they're all levels/ranks for ninja.

Genjutsu = Basically techniques involving the mind, like illusions, but they generally don't cause physical harm.

Taijutsu = Think about them as physical techniques.

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**Farseeing Eyes**

_**Drabble Set 1: Meetings**_

**Blue**

The first time they met, Kaito had been told that his next assignment would be to guide a squad as they escorted one Lady Suzuki Sonoko to a city in the heart of the Land of Rice where she would be marrying her fiancé. He hadn't thought much of the assignment but apparently this was one of those few arranged marriages where the betrothed already knew and loved each other—and hey, who wouldn't want to help out true love? It sounded like an easy jaunt anyway and he'd heard some interesting stories about this squad he'd be guiding. So he went to meet them with light steps and thoughts of perfecting the technique he'd been developing that would let him walk on air for short periods of time. The short part was a little annoying, but he'd work on that once he got the walking part down.

What he hadn't expected was to find himself face to face with a boy about his own age, maybe a year younger, with eyes the same endless blue as the sky and features that, while different, resembled his own to an unusual degree for people unrelated by blood.

**Spy**

"My name is Kuroba Kaito," he had announced as he made his entrance in a veritable aurora of lights and swept into a showman's bow. "I will be your guide for this venture."

The boy with the blue eyes had looked at him quizzically for a moment before asking, "Are you sure you're a spy?"

Kaito had laughed at that, surprised and amused by the peculiar question. "Absolutely positive. Don't worry, I leave the flashing lights behind when I'm on business. Most of the time."

**Team**

The dark-skinned youth—he'd introduced himself as Hattori Heiji—stood squared off against a blonde Kaito recognized as the Hakubas' only son. He'd met the latter a few times in the past and didn't particularly like him. He was a little too by-the-book and expected everyone else to do the same. Those who didn't he had a tendency to patronize. It didn't make him a bad person, just irritating and a bit of a stick in the mud.

Apparently, he was just the right blend of personality to rub the team's sword expert the wrong way.

Their village was almost renowned for having strange squads, but even so Kaito had never seen a team quite as apparently dysfunctional as this one. Although he'd heard stories that the current Hokage had had a pretty disjointed one himself back in the day.

And off to the side the squad's remaining two members—Kudo Shinichi, the one with the blue eyes, and a kunoichi by the name of Mouri Ran, who reminded Kaito of a friend of his who was currently out on a mission of her own—sat and watched with the longsuffering expressions of people who had seen it a hundred times already. Kaito himself was being rapidly inducted into their ranks as this scene played out at least twice a day, sometimes more over various, little, practically inconsequential details.

**Role**

Despite the frequent arguments, the squad did work well together. Every one of them seemed to have a role which they played and which allowed them to really be a team and not just a handful of ninja on an assignment.

Mouri Ran was the peacemaker and taskmaster, partially because the others all respected her but mostly because she had both the ability (as one of the village's taijutsu masters) and the temper to break a few bones if sufficiently irritated. Hakuba Saguru, whom Kaito was beginning to suspect had a soft spot for the aforementioned girl, managed both the team's finances and travel schedule. He'd always been a bit of a math nut, or so the spy's impeccable memory recalled. It seemed he was now putting those skills to good use. Hattori Heiji, his constant opponent on the verbal battlefield, was one of the team's main actors. If they were a single entity, he'd have been the sword-arm. Quick action was definitely his forte. Then there was Kudo Shinichi. It turned out that he was the team's strategist. In the handful of sticky situations they had encountered thus far, Kaito had noticed that he was always quick to take in and not only analyze the situation but find multiple ways to solve it. And the others trusted his judgment to the point where none of them ever questioned his directions, even when they seemed illogical at the time. And their faith had yet to be misplaced.

Overall they were a rather fascinating set of personalities, the spy mused, and he himself had slid into their midst with seamless ease. Their mission required them to first travel to the house of the lady they were to escort before taking her the considerable distance to her fiancé in the Land of Rice. The territory in question was currently politically unstable and Kaito, who had spent the last few months studying it up close, was one of the only people in Konoha who knew the details of the situation and could predict the way things were shifting in each area. As such he was their guide and in charge of picking the routes where they were least likely to be mobbed. That wouldn't stop any assassins that might have been hired by those opposed to Lady Suzuki's marriage and the alliance it would form, but that was a different matter and not part of his jurisdiction anyway.

**Expectation**

Their guide was . . .not what any of them had expected—to put it mildly. Heiji had fretted the entire day before they'd left on their assignment over the possibility of being stuck with another one of those "damned, stuck-up know-it-alls"' while sending pointed looks in Hakuba's direction. So he'd been more than relieved when the spy had introduced himself. A few days of association later and he realized that Kaito was indeed one of those people who seemed to know everything and weren't afraid to brag about it, but he didn't carry about him that "you are inferior" air that most such people did and that made all the difference. It was just a bonus that he also seemed to annoy Hakuba simply by existing (all right, that might be a slight exaggeration, but Heiji had never had so many laughs at the blonde's expense and he was relishing every minute of it even if he himself wound up being the butt of some of the spy's other jokes). Hakuba on the other hand wished fervently that their guide had been anyone else.

Ran herself found the spy refreshingly well-mannered. He treated her with the utmost respect but without being stiff and he actually listened to what she said all the time without having to have his arm twisted. He was easy to talk to and full of stories and she had to wonder why she'd never heard of him before. Though she did think he could lay off on the pranks a bit, at least while they were on the road. On the flip side, his antics made Saguru stick closer to her (as her presence seemed to ward off some of the spy's more elaborate tricks) and she wasn't going to complain about that.

For his part, Shinichi found the spy simply to be puzzling. Yes, he was cheerful, and yes, he was easy to talk to and all those other things, but at the same time he was a closed book that had had its cover wiped clean and its pages glued shut. Perhaps it was a side effect of being a spy, but it seemed to Shinichi that their guide's open, friendly attitude—while not exactly false—was far from all there was. It was about as telling as the surface of a lake. No amount of reflections obscured the lake itself, but the nature of what lay underneath was a different matter entirely.

It was kind of unsettling, but no one else seemed to notice so he put it out of his mind.

After all, there was nothing false about that smile, even if what it was aimed at or what it really meant were indecipherable.

**Book**

"Isn't that one of the Medical Core's advanced textbooks?" Kaito asked curiously as he dropped onto the grass beside Shinichi.

The shorter boy didn't even bother to look up from his reading as he answered with an affirmative noise. Paper crackled and pages turned.

"So why are you reading that?" the spy prodded when it became apparent that no further commentary would be forthcoming.

"I'm thinking about transferring into the Core."

"Oh?" Kaito took a closer look at the book in his companion's hand. It wasn't just advanced. It was one of those books the medics didn't even allow their own beginners to touch lest they end up causing irreparable damage. Said medics also had a tendency to watch their books like hawks for the same reason. If Shinichi was reading this one, then he'd obviously had both the skills and the interest to get a transfer for some time.

Curious, he asked Hattori about it while the two of them were scouting out the next stretch of their current route.

"Oh, that," the dark-skinned shinobi had said with a shrug. "The three of us have been trying to get him to send in a request for ages now, but he keeps putting it off. He's worried about what might happen if he abandons us I think, even if he knows we can take care of ourselves. I mean, I'm quick on my feet, and Hakuba's no slouch even if he can be a bastard. And Ran's smart. But that's just Shinichi for you. Always has to be right there—first on the scene and last one off and all that or he'll worry." Hattori paused for a moment's thought then laughed. "Can't really blame him though. I guess I'm a bit like that too. It's hard to sit back when your friends might be in trouble. But if we're all like that we might as well stick together."

"Still," he added, tone growing more contemplative, almost as though he were thinking aloud rather than talking to the spy. "I think he'd be better off if he got that transfer."

**Song**

It had started when Lady Suzuki, a rather energetic woman, had announced with great irritation that she was bored. They had stopped to make camp for the night. Seated around the campfire, she had suggested that they each sing a song. Ran had approved of the idea and so the impromptu concert had begun.

"You really don't want to hear me sing," Shinichi had told them when it was his turn, but the lady had rolled her eyes and demanded that he play his part. Resigned to his fate, he'd obliged and sang a few lines.

"You're right," the lady remarked, wrinkling her nose as she waved him ino silence. "We really don't need to hear you sing. How about you do something else then?"

He stared at her. "Like what?"

"I don't know. Anything. You have to take a turn."

A rather confusing few moments passed before Kaito volunteered to take Shinichi's performance slot as well as his own. He'd proceeded to sing a short marching song—in Shinichi's voice, only in tune and on beat.

Shinichi couldn't help but gape as Heiji and the girls applauded the performance. "That's just creepy."

The spy flashed him a mischievous grin. "You ain't seen anything yet."

He'd proceeded to sing every song that had been sung that evening in a perfect rendition of the voices of those who had sung them the first time around.

**Fog**

Their first major obstacle arrived in the form of a heavy fog that rolled in as they were making their way in single file along a narrow path above a deep gorge. Heiji had let out a startled yell as the rocky ledge beneath his feet gave way. He had the presence of mind to let go of the people on either side of him so that he didn't pull them down with him as he slid downward, but the crumbling spread into a full out rockslide. When the rumbling and shaking finally came to a stop the entire side of the gorge had collapsed and no one could see or hear anyone else. With both the fog and the unstable grounds working against them, it was impossible to mount a search.

Shinichi, who had been at the front of the procession with their guide, wanted to wait where they were for the fog to clear then go back and look for their vanished comrades, but the spy objected.

"The land's not going to get any more stable," he'd pointed out. "And there might be another rockslide. We should keep going. I know a plateau not too far ahead that has several alternate paths attached to it. We can wait out the fog there and then I'll send some birds out to lead the others there."

**Biscuit**

"Relax," Kaito told his companion as he watched Shinichi pacing back and forth across the breadth of the plateau. "They'll be fine. Don't you trust them?"

Shinichi sighed. "I do, but—"

"Then come here, sit down, and have a biscuit. It won't do anyone any good if you wear yourself out worrying."

"You're awfully unconcerned about all this," he noted as he let out another breath and sat down on the indicated boulder.

"I've always found that wearing new paths in solid stone with my feet isn't generally a productive way to spend my time. Besides, can't do anything useful on an empty stomach, right?"

Despite his anxiety Shinichi had to laugh. "Weren't you going to give me a biscuit?"

**Chicken**

Ran was the first to arrive in the wake of a flurry of small, dove wings.

"Wow," she'd commented as she joined them and took a biscuit from Shinichi. "You're not running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I'm impressed."

Kaito laughed as Shinichi spluttered in indignation. "Not for lack of trying, I assure you," he told her, earning himself a glare from the boy in question.

Heiji was the second to arrive, looking rather battered but intact. Shinichi set about healing his injuries and he'd just finished when Hakuba made his appearance with Lady Suzuki in tow.

**Duty**

Shinichi had never liked the idea of killing. He had met many ninja both while he'd been in training and since who had reveled in the ability to crush an enemy. For some it was a matter of pride and proof of their skill, for others the guarantee that they would have the strength to protect their friends—there were even a few, thankfully rare, who delighted simply in the ability to kill. Most of them had come to see death as simply an inevitable side effect of the lifestyles they led. It was unpleasant, but it couldn't be avoided, and if it couldn't be avoided than it was preferable for the deaths to be on the other side of the battle.

But Shinichi couldn't help but think that those must be the same thoughts running through the heads of that 'other' side. They all fought because it was their duty to do so for someone, somewhere, or something. Those things and people and places differed and that was where the battles began, but it meant that any death was a loss to be mourned. Life was, after all, the greatest treasure given to men.

And really, what could killing actually solve in the long run? In the end it just made more enemies which eventually led to more killing. It was a vicious cycle but a cycle that was ingrained so firmly into their lives that it looked impossible to break.

And because of that there were times when death couldn't be avoided. So it was that, when duty demanded it, he did his job and defeated the enemy in that final, irreversible way for all that it made him feel sick inside. All he could do was make sure that he never dragged it out if he could and he refused to learn any techniques aimed only at causing pain. It didn't make killing feel any less like a sin—didn't make him feel any less like a monster when the battles ended, but it was all he could do.

**Blood**

They had been ambushed. The enemy outnumbered them four to one. Shinichi had pushed the startled Lady Suzuki at Kaito and asked him to get her to safety. Kaito had done so without complaint, but he had summoned a dove and left it with his companions so it could let him know when it was safe to bring the lady back or call him if they needed help. They hadn't needed him though. By the time he brought the lady back all of the assassins were dead and the ground was splattered with fresh blood.

They had left the area quickly after that just in case the ambushers hadn't been alone.

"Are you all right?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow at the unexpected question being directed his way. He was probably the only one of their lot to whom the phrase 'all right' could currently be applied without lying through one's teeth. His fellow ninja had all sustained varying levels of injuries which Shinichi hadn't yet had the time to tend to and the lady was shaken to the point of actually being quiet—a first since they'd picked her up from her father's house. "Of course. But why do you ask? I wasn't the one who just fought a battle."

"The blood bothers you."

The spy paused a moment in surprise. No one had ever noticed that before. It wasn't a fact he advertised and he was usually careful to keep it tucked away from the public. Had he slipped? But he never slipped.

"A little," he admitted finally. "But it's not as though it's anything I haven't seen before."

It was only later, when he spied Shinichi washing his hands in the river for the thirty sixth time that evening and their short conversation resurfaced in his mind that Kaito found he now understood Hattori's cryptic remark about how his friend might be better off elsewhere. The realization left him feeling odd all night.

**Bird**

Lady Suzuki invited them all to her wedding and Ran, who had become fast friends with the energetic woman over the course of their travels, had insisted they accept her offer. It was a huge event involving not only the entire city but several of the nearest towns and villages as well. In no time at all the escort party found themselves recruited and put to work helping with the preparations. By the time the actual ceremony came around Shinichi was ready to swear that the wedding preparations were ten times more tiring than the mission itself.

Sitting on one of the roofs overlooking the plaza where the wedding was currently underway, he let out a breath of relief. He was definitely looking forward to going home.

"Bored?"

He jumped, head snapping around so fast he made himself dizzy. There, seated beside him, was Kaito—whom he hadn't even noticed approaching.

"When did you—"

"About three minutes ago." The spy was smirking rather smugly. "You should be more careful."

Shinichi rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the wedding. Nothing had really changed in his few moments of inattention. Letting out his umpteenth sigh of the day, he turned his eyes upward. There was a hawk circling slowly overhead. Its silhouette was stark against the pale light of the sky and the path of its flight a graceful stroke on the flawless blue canvas.

"Do you like birds?"

Shinichi started again, having almost forgotten he wasn't alone. "Yeah. I wonder sometimes what it feels like to fly."

Kaito hummed, leaning back on his hands and turning his gaze to the horizon. "What it's like to fly huh? I'd say it's like the greatest freedom and the greatest regret since even though nothing can touch you while you're up there and you can leave everything behind, you also know that you'll have to come down eventually."

"You sound like you actually know what you're talking about," Shinichi observed.

The other laughed. "Maybe I do."

**Manipulation**

There were three things that made Kaito the brilliant spy that he was. Two of these reasons were obvious to any given the opportunity to see.

First was his ability to do perfect transformations and hold the shapes he took on for almost indefinite amounts of time.

Second was his uncanny talent for acting. He could impersonate anyone perfectly down to the most minute of mannerisms after only a negligible amount of time to study them. No one ever saw more of his thoughts than he wished them to, and they only ever saw the thoughts he left out for them to find. It was a game he enjoyed and he relished in his ability to fool the world. He liked showing off and being flashy, but there was a certain kind of thrill to be had in the perfect deception.

The last of the reasons however was much less easily detected though possibly the most frightening of them all for it was his mastery of the art of manipulation. It wasn't just the everyday kind of manipulation woven from words and misguided thoughts—though he excelled in that kind as well—no, it was the ability he had to delve right into people's minds, unearth their most innermost thoughts and emotions, and bend them to his own ends, helped along by an innate talent for genjutsu. Once, when he was younger, he'd overheard Nakamori-sensei telling his mother, "That kid of yours, he could probably take over the world if he wanted to."

His mother had laughed but in that light, knowing way of mothers. "Then it's probably a good thing that he doesn't want to."

**Smile**

Shinichi always remembered the way his parents smiled. His mother had a bright, ecstatic kind of smile that always looked like it was about to tell a joke at your expense. A lot of times it was true. But it was a warm smile too in a bubbling kind of way. His father's smile was quieter and much less easy to see. It was a knowing smile that made those who saw it wonder what he knew that they didn't. Thinking back, he realized that he'd never really been able to see behind their smiles. He'd never thought he had to because he knew their smiles were genuine even if he didn't always know what they were smiling about.

The smiles they'd worn the day they left to travel the world had been different though. They'd been excited in a way he'd never seen before—like people who had finally seen the sun after too long spent in the gray clutches of a storm. It was, he recalled, the first time he wondered how much he didn't know about them. How much he didn't understand.

And even now, years later, he still didn't understand. He didn't understand why it was only on the day they left that they'd looked free. He didn't understand why they had chosen that particular day to leave. He didn't understand how they could abandon their duties to the village the way they had. And he didn't understand why they had left him behind.

**Enemy**

Kaito had never liked to spill blood. Neither did he like seeing others engage in the act. Life was precious no matter who it belonged to, and often the enemy was only an enemy because their respective homes, leaders, and loved ones demanded it. But there were also those dark-hearted bastards of the human race who did nothing with their lives but harm others and cause pain. There were people who did not deserve second chances.

Kaito had never liked to spill blood, but he didn't have to. He was a master of illusions and the arts of the mind. Because of that, those truly evil souls who crossed his path never died, but neither could they ever raise a hand against another living creature again.

**Risk**

Hakuba Saguru had never liked taking risks. It wasn't that he lacked a sense of adventure or courage, but he hated the idea of failure. Maybe it was a different kind of cowardice, but he would much rather take his time and be absolutely sure of a plan's success before executing even the smallest part of it. He liked to call it caution, and most of the time he found it paid off.

At the same time however he had noticed that it had led him to miss certain chances he could have had. It was something he hadn't noticed until Shinichi had asked him after a particularly heated fight between himself and Hattori whether he really thought there was no place for impulse. He'd stopped and looked back and he'd realized that most of the biggest disappointments he'd had in his life had come from actions taken too late. It had been a hesitation that twice cost him the chuunin exams years ago—both times in the final rounds. And it was his ongoing reluctance to discuss anything with his father because he could never predict how the man would react that was putting their relationship under constant strain (he knew his father cared for him, but his own expectations for himself kept him from asking for help, be it with training or work, and he hadn't realized until recently that the man felt estranged by that).

With that in mind he'd gathered up his courage and taken the risk to ask Mouri Ran if she would allow him the chance to see if he was someone she would be willing to spend the rest of her life with. And he was glad he'd taken that risk. Her smile had made all the uncertainty worth it.

**Festival**

It had taken some careful planning and he'd had to pull a few strings (most of whom never realized they'd been pulled), but Kaito had managed to arrange for both himself and Shinichi to be in the village for the spring festival. He'd bid his friend and neighbor Nakamori Aoko good morning before excusing himself.

"I'll see you later by the sakura when the taiko performance starts, right? There should be a good view from the first hill."

"Yep. Though we may have to do some seat-grabbing if that's where you want to watch the show from."

"Oh, didn't I tell you? Akako said she'd get us a spot." The girl looked away, a bit embarrassed. "You don't mind do you? I know you two didn't used to get along, but . . ."

"Don't worry about it," he assured her, hoping the red haired kunoichi known as the master of the Puppet Strings techniques he remembered as being the owner of the name Akako had mellowed out some in the years since he'd last seen her. "I'll be bringing someone too so I can hardly tell you not to."

"Is this the friend you made on that mission to the Land of Rice you won't shut up about?" she asked curiously.

He offered her a mock wounded look in return. "I never realized you disliked talking to me so much. But alas, I suppose now that I know I cannot keep assaulting your sensibilities with my words. I will, however, forever mourn the loss—"

"Oh _shut up_!" she exploded, laughing and scowling as she punched him in the shoulder. "Honestly, what's gotten into you today? I feel like you're about to start bouncing off the walls at any moment!"

**Invitation**

Shinichi hadn't gone to the spring festival in years. He was always either out of the village or too tired to bother or just didn't feel like it. Wandering by himself through noisy crowds held little appeal to him. He used to go with Ran since she made a point of dragging him there. But this year she was going with Hakuba Saguru, and while she'd asked if he wanted to join them he had no inclination to spend the day as either the proverbial third wheel or playing chaperon.

Hattori sometimes told him that he thought there was something wrong with him since he'd rather read a book at home than go to a festival. And sometimes Shinichi thought he might be right. But that thought didn't make him feel any differently.

Still, when he answered the insistant pounding on the door to find a grinning Kaito inviting him out to a day in the festivities he found himself agreeing with barely a second thought. There was just something about the eager light in the other's indigo eyes that made him feel oddly light and he couldn't refuse.

**Interrogation**

"Hello, I'm Nakamori Aoko, it's nice to meet you."

Shinichi returned the greeting and introduction while trying not to stare. The girl before him reminded him an awful lot of Ran, just wilder around the edges. A few minutes of conversation though and he'd found that they were rather different. Yet they both had a way of making him feel like he was missing something.

"So you met Kaito on that escort mission he helped with, right?" she asked when the spy in question had gone off in search of more snacks followed by a red haired friend of Aoko's.

"The Lady Suzuki mission," Shinichi agreed.

She nodded in the manner of someone who already knew she'd been right. "So do you like him?"

He'd paused at that, puzzled at the rather odd question. "Well . . .I don't exactly make a habit of spending my free time with people I don't like . . .?"

The look she'd given him had started out confused and disbelieving before she'd shaken her head at him and gone on to ask a lot of questions about the things he'd done, the people he knew, the things he liked and didn't, and so on and so forth until he really wanted to be anywhere else. It wasn't that he disliked her company, she seemed fairly nice, but he wasn't accustomed to discussing, well, himself with even people he'd known all his life. Doing so at the behest of a near stranger was extremely uncomfortable. But there was just something about the way she asked the questions that made him answer. When Kaito and the redhead got back he took the chance to excuse himself and fled for some fresh air.

Aoko watched him go with a bemused expression before turning to Kaito and meeting his raised eyebrows with a shrug. "He's honest, I like him. But he seems a bit slow on the uptake."

Kaito laughed. "I've never met a faster and more effective strategist actually. It just doesn't seem to translate well to certain other things. What did you say to him anyway? He sure ran away from you fast."

"I was just trying to get to know him," she said dismissively.

"Ah, that explains a lot."

She shot him a glare. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"My dear Aoko, while your skills in the interrogation room are formidable, they are not meant for social occasions."

"I know that!"

"Uh huh. I'm sure you do."

Her expression grew stormy but Shinichi chose that moment to return. He took one look at the thunderclouds on her face and the grin on Kaito's and wondered if he should leave. But the redhead cut in before any of them could say or do anything by pointing out that the performance was about to begin.

**Distraction**

Kaito had always loved the taiko performance held every spring festival. Much as he liked being the showman, he could also admire the shows of others, and there was a power and grace in the almost dance-like drumming that was thrilling to behold. But this year he found his gaze kept wandering away from the drummers on the stage. Instead he found himself watching Shinichi's rapt face and the wondering smile that currently occupied it. It was distracting to say the least, but in a good way.

**TBC**

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A.N: There are three more drabble sets. I'm mostly done with them but I need to edit and make sure there's nothing I need to add. The next part should be up within two weeks. Hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for reading!


	2. Set 2: Moments

Disclaimer: Same as previous chapter.

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**Farseeing Eyes**

_**Drabble Set 2: Moments**_

**Clash**

The clash of steel and explosion of shouts that shattered the early morning calm told the entire village that Kazuha Toyama and Hattori Heiji were both back in town. Over the years it had become tradition for the two to greet each other with a duel and a contest of insults after which they would laugh, hug, and go for ice cream or ramen depending on the weather.

**Cook**

"I didn't know you could cook," Kaito remarked as he watched Shinichi setting plates out on the table. He'd stopped by to say goodbye before he left on his next assignment and the other had invited him to stay for dinner.

"Ran insisted I learn when I moved here," the other explained. "She said she refused to be the one who had to cook all the time and her dad's pretty hopeless in the kitchen."

"And it was your turn today?"

"Ran and her dad are both on missions right now."

"You know, I've been meaning to ask, why do you live with the Mouris? Isn't that empty house at the end of this street yours?"

Shinichi blinked at him in surprise. "How did you know that?"

The spy smirked. "I have my ways. Surely you remember who you're talking to here. Anyway, so?"

"I—just got tired of living by myself, I guess . . . And Ran said I could use their spare room as long as I helped her with the housework. So how's the chicken?"

Recognizing the change in topic for what it was, Kaito took a bite of the food in question. "Hey, it's actually really good."

"You don't have to sound so surprised."

**Flaw**

Mouri Kogoro knew that he had a lot of flaws. Funnily enough, this knowledge was one of his virtues. He knew that he drank too much. He had never managed to pass the jounin exams (knew he never would, all considered everyone was still shocked he'd even made it to chuunin level) and he had a tendency to jump to conclusions and act before he thought. He also couldn't seem to get up the courage to tell his wife how much he needed her and ask her to come home. But at the same time he had his virtues too. His heart was in the right place and he had more courage than most. He was also skilled enough in taijutsu to be an asset to the teams he worked with.

And he was a good father—or at least he tried to be. He watched over his daughter but he tried never to hold her back. He knew he wasn't the world's best role model, but he tried to give advice where he could since he had, after all, lived much longer than she had and seen more of the world. He wasn't actually sure if he was doing a good job, but he could see that Ran was growing up a strong and independent kunoichi and he was proud of her, even if he couldn't quite come out and say it to her.

However, while he'd made up his mind that children should be allowed to make their own mistakes, he hadn't liked the idea when she had told him that the kid from down the street was moving in with them. All right, the kid was polite and didn't make a lot of noise, even if he did mouth off occasionally, but still . . . But he trusted Ran's judgment so he allowed it. Besides, it wasn't the kid's fault his parents had up and vanished to who knew where. Though Kogoro had still spent the early months of the boy's stay watching him closely out of the corner of his eyes. Over the years however he'd found himself minding the kid's presence less and less until one day he'd discovered that he might be starting to view the kid as a sort of surrogate son. Though nothing in the world was ever going to get him to admit that to anyone. Ever.

**Headband**

"I've never seen you wear the leaf headband," Shinichi noted once.

"I don't generally want to advertise who I'm working for," the spy replied cheerfully. "But I do wear the occasional headband, though I must admit that usually it's a different village's mark on it. They can come in handy when you need to get in and out of somewhere fast. Especially if the group is large."

"Ah. That makes sense."

"Since we're on the subject, might I inquire as to why you wear yours around your neck? It _is_ a headband, you know. For heads."

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "I know that. I just had it there this one time when I was trying to get this horrible gunk out of my hair when my squad was attacked. It deflected a blade for me."

"So it's for luck then?"

"I . . .guess you could call it that. Besides, no one can see which village's symbol is on it when I wear it around my head. My hair gets in the way. It's just less confusing like this."

**Double**

Kogoro knew he was drunk when he'd opened the door to his house with fumbling fingers and tottered inside, but he hadn't thought he was drunk enough to start seeing double. But there they were—two brats where there should have been one sitting in the living room. Admittedly one of them looked . . .different, but his alcohol muddled brain wasn't up to figuring out why. Giving up for the time being, he headed for his room and collapsed into sleep.

When he got up the next morning, head pounding, he barely remembered what he'd thought he'd seen the previous night. It wasn't until a few days later when he saw Shinichi and a slightly taller boy with wild hair whose features vaguely resembled said brat's that the memory hit him again. He thought for a fleeting moment that he'd started hallucinating things into existence before he remembered that Ran had pointed the stranger out before. She'd called him Kaito, if he remembered correctly. Well, at least now he knew he hadn't been seeing things.

**Mask**

For almost literally his entire life Kaito had worked on and eventually perfected the art of the mask. No one knew more about his thoughts than he wished them to. It was a power he delighted in, but at the same time it had set him a step away from the rest of the world. But since knowledge of masks went both ways, he read others with the same ease with which he kept himself hidden and therefore the distance was something he also controlled. Still, there was always that little voice that wondered.

Shinichi, he'd found, seemed to have an uncanny knack for seeing what he'd hidden, even though the other didn't seem to realize it. He couldn't tell what Kaito was thinking—no one could—but there were little things in the comments he made that told the spy he'd _noticed_ things. It was fascinating. He wondered at first if he'd simply misjudged the completeness of his own masks, but it had never happened with anyone else. Well, that wasn't entirely true. His mom noticed things too, but she didn't really count, being his mom and all.

And it was strange, but sometimes it was nice to have someone see past the masks.

**Everywhere**

It was starting to get a little weird. Before the escort mission, Shinichi had never even seen Kaito before. Now it seemed he couldn't turn a corner without running into the spy. They'd even started being assigned more missions together. He'd chalked it up to coincidence at first (it only happened when he was in Konoha after all so it had taken him a while to really notice how often it occurred), but now he was really starting to wonder. There was no way coincidence could be that—_persistent_. It wasn't that he minded though. He liked the spy—indeed, Kaito was the kind of person it was hard not to like. But still, it was starting to feel like the other might be following him (follow being the less unnerving word choice). It was a little bit creepy.

And really, why would he even want to do that? Was he really that bored?

**Imagine**

"You're imagining things," Heiji assured him. "Spending time together's just what friends do. I mean, I come around to say hi when I get back from missions you didn't go with me on. He's just doing the same thing."

"Every day, Heiji. And I never have to tell him where I'll be or when I'll be there."

"Okay, that is a little strange, but he's an information specialist, it can't be that hard for him to find one shinobi's schedule."

"I suppose not . . ."

"Is he bothering you? Because if he is, I think you should tell him."

"No, it's not that. I don't mind, really. It's just—I don't know, weird."

"I still say you're imagining things. I'm sure he's just being friendly."

"Shinichi!"

Both shinobi turned towards the cry to see Kaito waving at them from the bottom branch of a tree not too far away. Heiji stared for a moment before looking around. They were still in the forest clearing they'd only decided to go talk in about half an hour ago when they'd met up.

He turned back to Shinichi. "I take back what I said, you're not imagining things."

**Cake**

"What's that?"

"A chocolate cake of course. Haven't you ever seen one before?"

" . . .And what did you want me to do with it?"

Kaito actually looked puzzled. "Um, eat it? It's my mom's new recipe. She told me to get her twenty different opinions."

Shinichi looked down at the three-foot tall stack of books and papers he was carrying then back up at the spy. "Can it wait?"

"Aw, but I still have to find nineteen more people."

"Then go find them first. You know where I live." _Even though I never told you_, he added to himself.

"But you're here now."

He sighed in exasperation. "My hands are full."

Grinning, the spy lifted a forkful of cake. "Say ah~."

Shinichi gave him a disbelieving look. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely. Come on, it won't kill you I promise. Mom's a great cook even when she's experimenting. All you have to do is chew, swallow, and let me know what you think."

Shinichi stared at him for a moment longer before letting out a defeated breath and resigning himself to the inevitable.

"So how was it?" Kaito asked, watching him expectantly.

"It was good," Shinichi said once he'd swallowed. "Not too sweet."

Later that day he was on his way home when the spy once again accosted him with a rather large box in hand.

He stared at it. "What's that?"

Kaito scratched the back of his head. "I told Mom you liked the cake so she made another one just for you. Don't worry," he added, laughing at the expression on the other's face as he was handed the large and hefty box. "I'm sure she doesn't expect you to eat the whole thing by yourself."

Shinichi took a moment to peek inside the box. The cake was every bit as large as its weight implied. He shut the box and looked back up at its deliverer.

"Uh . . .I don't suppose you feel like eating cake?"

**Fly**

"Out of vague curiosity, why are we up here?" Shinichi asked, shivering as the cold wind cut straight through his clothes and chilled him to the bone. It had been a warm day and he hadn't expected to need to dress warmly. Of course, he hadn't realized they were going to be spending time at the top of one of the highest cliffs within a day's travel distance from the village.

"You said once you wondered what it would be like to fly, didn't you?" his companion asked instead of answering his question.

"Yes, I did. So?"

Kaito ignored his question again, opting instead to pull him towards the edge of the cliff. The heavy cloak he'd brought with him flapped in the wind. "Come on."

"What are you doing?" the other demanded, starting to grow alarmed at how close to the edge they were getting. "Be careful or we'll fall!"

The spy did pause but only once they had reached the very edge. "Do you trust me?"

"I think I did until you asked me that," Shinichi said warily. Something about the excited grin on his companion's face was making his survival instincts go haywire. "Why?"

He let out a yelp of surprise when Kaito laughed, grabbed him, and threw them both forward and off the edge of the cliff (at which point the yelp turned into something more like a shriek).

"What do you think you're doing?" he hollered at the top of his lungs.

"Relax," the madman chided, sounding far too relaxed for someone heading at high speeds for an intimate introduction to the very hard earth below. "And stop struggling or I'll drop you and then you'd fall."

"I'd _fall_?" Shinichi repeated incredulously, voice emerging an octave higher than normal. "Have you completely lost your mind? We're already falling! What—hey! What are you doing?"

Kaito had temporarily loosened his hold on his companion and Shinichi, despite current suspicions as to the state of the spy's sanity, found the idea of the other letting go of him at this point quite the opposite of comforting. Not that it should matter either way since there was no surface close enough for them to use to stop or even slow their fall. Maybe if they could come up with a technique that would exert enough downward force they could slow themselves down enough not to become one with the ground.

Distracted by the many plans being made and discarded in his head, he didn't notice that Kaito's hands were running through hand seals somewhere in front of his stomach. He did notice when Kaito's arms tightened around his middle and there was a jerking sensation as gravity suddenly found itself competing with something else for possession of the falling humans. Then they were going forward rather than down. In fact, they were actually _rising_.

Confused, Shinichi craned his neck to look behind himself. And there, past Kaito's madly grinning face, was what appeared to be the wing of a glider. It took him a moment to realize that it was what had been the spy's cape, only now whatever technique the other had just used had made it into their sole weapon against pancake-hood.

"Now, if you'll cooperate with me, I can get a better grip and you'll be a little more comfortable."

Later, when they'd landed near the outskirts of Konoha and the sun had almost sunk beneath the horizon, Kaito dispelled his jutsu and his cape fell back around him in heavy folds.

"So what did you think of flying?" he asked.

Shinichi could only shake his head. "It was . . .interesting. But I'd appreciate it if you'd _warn_ me next time you decide to do something like that."

"So you wouldn't mind doing it again?"

He coughed lightly. "Maybe . . . Without the think-we're-going-to-die bit anyway."

**Walk**

Kaito had insisted on walking him home. It was a bit out of the way for him but he wouldn't take no for an answer. The walk itself was peaceful. Shinichi was still caught up in the elation of having actually flown—well, sort of flown, but that wasn't the point. It had been an amazing sensation and the view had been indescribable. And judging from the spark in Kaiio's eyes it seemed the spy had enjoyed the experience too. He wondered if the joy of flying was one of those feelings that never went away, for surely anyone who had once touched the sky would wish forever that they could do it one more time.

It wasn't until Kaito stopped and pointed it out that Shinichi noticed they had already reached the Mouris' residence. Slightly embarrassed by his own absentmindedness, he thanked the other again and bid him a good night.

He was caught entirely off guard when the other leaned down and kissed him before wishing him the same and leaving, whistling a jaunty tune as he went.

**Expression**

Shinichi knew that he wasn't very good at expressing his feelings. It didn't help that he got embarrassed easily when it came to that sort of thing. So he couldn't really understand why Kaito seemed to like him so much and knew even less about what he was supposed to do about it.

The spy was one of the most vibrant people he had ever met. Even when he was standing still he gave the impression that he was about to be off and away and he had a way with people that was probably why he was so good at his job. He could make them smile or laugh with little effort and he inspired others to see the world in a more optimistic light. It was as though he had the power to make them all believe that the world was brighter than it really was, and maybe if they all believed then it would be true. It just seemed possible when he was around.

Shinichi himself had always been a bit pessimistic. When his parents had still been around he'd spent hours listening to his father tell horror stories about the last great war of the shinobi (and the others before that). He'd also read a lot. And it seemed to him that almost all the stories history had to tell were dark and full of bloodshed and sorrow. Happy endings were found only in fairytales, and fairytales didn't happen in real life.

When he'd gotten older he'd decided that just because history had only tragedies to tell it didn't mean that that was all there was. After all, for there to be a tragedy, there must have been joy too. People could work hard and strive for peace and maybe one day—somewhere in the distant future—they'd even find it. But as long as they didn't stop looking they would be able to stave off that final tragedy, for the day hope died would be the greatest and last tragedy life could suffer.

So he dedicated himself to doing whatever he could for the people around him and hoped. It didn't make him a particularly interesting person to hang around, he supposed, he was always being told that he needed to spend less time working and see more people. But it was just the way he was. He'd never regretted it. He wouldn't regret it either, because he had his reasons, and they would be true even if other people didn't understand them.

Still, knowing this about himself made him feel obliged to let the spy know that, while he enjoyed spending time together and appreciated the things the other had done for him, trying to be anything other than just friends probably wouldn't be a good idea. He could tell that Kaito was the kind of person who threw himself into things when he had an idea, and Shinichi didn't really want anyone to waste that kind of effort on him (on something so uncertain). It wouldn't be fair.

He told Kaito this (with the same bluntness that had often put him in people's bad graces but which he'd never bothered to change because he'd always thought being honest was better in the long run for everyone), expecting that to be the end of the matter. But while he'd been ready to be asked to explain or for the other to be upset—or any other of a range of possibilities really, he hadn't been ready to be laughed at. He wasn't sure what to think about that.

**Time**

"I don't see why you're so bent out of shape about this," Miyano Shiho, rising star of the village's new research team and one of Shinichi's oldest friends gave him a flat look he'd come to believe meant she was laughing at him inside—and storing up ammunition for later use against him. What a good friend she was. He was starting to wish he'd gone to talk to Ran instead. "You like this guy, don't you?" She watched as his face grew steadily redder and smirked. "So your problem is . . .?"

"I—well . . ." Shinichi floundered for a moment, trying unsuccessfully to shape the vague fears and uncertainties into words. "Well, for one, we're practically never in the village at the same time . . ."

"Kazuha and Heiji are rarely home at the same time and they've been doing just fine," she pointed out, sounding bored. "Anything else?"

He stared at her a long moment before letting out a grunt of frustration. "How am I supposed to answer when you're like—like _that_."

Now she really did laugh at him. "That's your problem. But if you really want to know what I think . . ." She paused, giving him a long, hard look before shaking her head. "You were the one who was always telling me when Okami died that I should give people a chance instead of pushing them away all the time. It seems to me you should take your own advice. Though frankly, with your attitude, I think this friend of yours is probably wasting his time, the poor boy."

"Thanks," he said dryly, sinking lower in his seat. "I don't need you to tell me that."

"So that's it. You've already decided it wouldn't work." Her expression softened slightly and she leaned forward, catching his eyes with her own unwavering gaze. "Listen Shinichi, if I've learned anything, it's that happiness is something we allow ourselves to have. Just think about that."

**Happiness**

Shinichi thought a lot about what Shiho had said after they'd parted ways at the café. He thought he understood what she'd meant, but he couldn't figure out what it had to do with him. He wasn't unhappy. Or at least he'd never thought he was. And of course his opinion was the one that mattered in this debate.

But Shiho never said anything without a good reason—unless it was to drive someone up the wall, but he was fairly sure this wasn't one of those times. So when he got home he said hi to Ran with a distracted smile, got a cup of coffee, and went upstairs to his room where he sat down at the desk and made a list of the various aspects of his daily life. It was a normal enough list really. So which parts of it was Shiho referring to? Setting the pencil back on the paper he set about dividing everything into those things he liked, disliked, regretted, hoped for, and didn't care about one way or another. It was a lot harder than he'd thought it would be and the last list was disturbingly long and the others disturbingly not. On the flip side, what did that actually tell him? Could a person even really diagnose himself? Maybe he was too close to the subject to see it clearly.

Well, duh, he _was_ the subject. That was a given.

Letting out a groan he put his head down on the desk. If anything he was more confused now than when he'd started.

**Chance**

Maybe he was just thinking about this all wrong. If he stepped back and sifted through what Shino had said again, most of her scoffing could be boiled down to the simple idea that he should give it all a chance and not worry so much about the outcome. He'd spent years now just going along in what might as well be stagnation. And while it was true that he was mostly okay with things the way they were, that might not really be the same as being happy with it. Maybe it was time to take a chance at change and just hope for the best.

Well, there were at least two things he could do.

Sitting up, he pulled the transfer request forms that had been stashed at the bottom of one of his desk drawers out and began filling it in.

And the next time Kaito ambushed him—this time as he was leaving the building where he'd turned in his request—he gathered up his courage and asked if the other wanted to go get something to eat. It was annoying that he couldn't pull his eyes up off the ground as he did so, and it was kind of scary how absurdly thrilled he felt when Kaito agreed without a moment's pause and proceeded to drag him off to some restaurant he'd never even heard of (which, considering the size of the village, was just bizarre. Was he really that far out of the social loop?). It was slightly ridiculous because they'd eaten together dozens of times before, but apparently a little change of perspective could go a long way. And he wasn't sure why—maybe because he'd finally gotten the transfer matter off his chest?—but he was feeling far more relaxed than he had in a long time.

And judging from the slightly broader than usual grin and the glint in his eyes Kaito had noticed something too. Though there was also a knowing look there Shinichi would have liked to have explained. It was a pity Kaito didn't do explanations, or at least not of the kind other people thought of as explanations.

**Track**

"I really wonder what goes on in your head sometimes," Aoko told him one afternoon when he delivered a basket of bread to her house for his mother. "Then I think about it and I'm pretty sure I don't really want to know."

"Oh? A member of interrogation that doesn't want to know what's going through someone else's head? That's a first to be sure!"

She rolled her eyes. "That's because I'm sure a look at your thoughts would drive any normal person insane. By the way, you got a new mission, right?"

"Yep. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"You get to choose who goes with you, right?"

"That I do. Funny, I didn't realize that was common knowledge."

Aoko coughed, looking slightly embarrassed. "It's not. I—found out by accident. And I have some information that could be useful for you and whoever you bring, so bring them to see me before you go."

"We'll come tonight after dinner, if you have time."

"That's fine." She paused for a moment before asking curiously, "So you've already found someone?"

He grinned. "He doesn't know he's coming yet, but I know he has time and he's been to the area before."

The girl studied his face for a moment then shook her head with a laugh. "Really Kaito, you can have a one-track mind sometimes."

The spy's jaw dropped in indignation. "I beg your pardon. I never run on tracks. I'm a trailblazer, I'll have you know. I make my own paths."

**Charm**

Shinichi watched in morbid fascination as, with a handful of flowers and a winning smile, Kaito charmed his way to an audience with the city's new ruler and proceeded to extract a remarkably favorable trade agreement from the iron-fisted woman. Apparently whoever had suggested they send the spy as their negotiator had known exactly what they were doing.

**Dance**

They had stopped at a lakeside inn for the night on their way home. The night was clear and Shinichi had gone out on the veranda outside their room after dinner. Their veranda happened to jut out slightly over the lake itself and the view was beautiful with both a sky and a lake full of stars.

"Would you like to dance?"

Surprised, Shinichi turned to look at the spy standing on the wrong side of the railing. His eyes fell to where Kaito's feet were planted on the surface of the water.

"Isn't that a bit of a waste of chakra?" he asked.

"Not at all," the other replied with a careless wave. "The mission's over and there's no reason for anyone to attack us. Especially not here in what's practically our own backyard. So how about it?"

Shinichi considered it for a moment then gave in and leapt lightly onto the railing. But before he could make the jump to the water Kaito reached out and jerked on the hem of his shirt. He let out an indignant yelp as he lost his balance and fell forward right into the grinning culprit's waiting arms. Kaito spun him around before setting him down, stepping back, and bowing before offering a hand.

He shot the spy a halfhearted glare, but the night was too beautiful to ruin by being angry.

The ripples spread away from their feet over the black, glassy water in thin rings painted silver by the moon. And it seemed to Shinichi like he could almost hear music. It was a song that couldn't be heard by the human ear, but it was there all the same and it filled him with a sense of contentment unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

**TBC**

* * *

A.N: Well, two sets to go! Next one should be up within two weeks. Oh, and for anyone reading Travelers, the next chapter should be up by Sunday.


	3. Set 3: Friends and Family

Disclaimer: Hasn't changed.

* * *

**Farseeing Eyes**

_Drabble Set 3: Friends and Family_

**Skill**

He knew this wasn't technically a proper use of his skills and he was probably breaking all kinds of rules while he was at it, but Kaito had never been one to care about rules and his skills were his to use as he pleased anyway. So he slipped silently through the night, unnoticed even by the hawk-eyed village guards—which would have been a bit disconcerting if he didn't know that the number of people out there who could match his stealth could probably be counted on the fingers of one hand, if even that was necessary. Not to brag or anything, but he'd seen a lot through the course of his travels and could say this with authority.

Shinichi didn't even stir when he slid open the window and let himself in. He did make a quiet noise of complaint at the temporary chill when the spy slipped under his covers. Smiling, Kaito pulled the other close and tucked Shinichi's head under his chin. His smile grew when the other unconsciously shifted closer and he closed his own eyes to search for sleep. Here, with the moon's pale light illuminating the window and the person he'd come to love in his arms the search was a short and easy one.

**Pillow**

The first time Shinichi had woken up to find himself not as alone in his bed as he should be he smacked Kaito over the head with his pillow so hard the spy later swore he saw stars with his face redder than Kaito had ever seen it. By the twelfth time he just rolled over and went back to sleep.

**Morning**

The first time Ran found him in Shinichi's room in the morning when she came to wake her friend she nearly took his head off. He'd gotten a week's worth of exercise that morning as he ducked and wove around the room to avoid death-by-overprotective-friend while he tried simultaneously to do as she was demanding and explain himself. And the whole time Shinichi, never at his best in the morning, watched with the half-asleep curiosity of someone who wasn't sure if he was still dreaming.

It was kind of fun and certainly a challenge to always stay that one crucial step ahead of her, but it did seem slightly unfair that she was trying to maim him when he hadn't even done anything yet. For some reason pointing this out only seemed to make her redouble her efforts.

He made a mental note to include making sure Mouri Ran wasn't in town on the checklist of preparations for certain future plans.

At least until she came around, which he was fairly confident she would. From what he could see she'd probably reacted the way she had more out of shock than anything else anyway since he knew for a fact that she found him likable.

**Gratitude**

Thinking back, Ran supposed that she wasn't all that surprised by this new (or not so new, she amended) development in her best friend's life. She'd noticed how much time Shinichi had been spending in the spy's company after all, she was observant, but she hadn't made the connection until now (because really, Shinichi being Shinichi, she hadn't been expecting him to find a romantic partner anytime soon, and she'd always thought she'd have to do it for him). Indeed, once she'd thought it over, she was grateful that Kaito had made his way into their lives. Shinichi had been a lot happier lately than she could remember having seen him in a long time. She just hoped that it was as real as her intuition was telling her it was and that it would last.

**Transfer**

The Hokage granted Shinichi's request to be transferred into the Medical Core. The day he got the notice Kaito found him slumped against the wall of his room.

"What's wrong?" he had asked worriedly, dropping to his knees beside the other. "Are you all right?"

He'd been more than a little startled when Shinichi had looked up at him with shining eyes and a genuine if relieved smile. "Now I can actually start doing some good."

**Canyon**

In retrospect, in the middle of fleeing three squads of enemy pursuers intent on killing him was probably not the best time to try out his new and mostly untried air-walking technique. But the canyon had opened up in front of him and it had seemed like a great idea at the time. It continued to seem like a great idea until it gave out on him halfway across said canyon. Some quick thinking and maneuvering resulted in a broken arm rather than a broken neck and a twisted ankle—which was really quite amazing considering the sheer height from which he'd fallen—but he'd lain still and played dead until his pursuers were satisfied and left him for dead.

Once he was sure they were gone, he bullied his aching limbs into moving and wound up propped against the rocky wall where there was some shade. After he'd gotten as comfortable as it was possible to be in the situation, he summoned a dove and watched as it disappeared up between the canyon's towering walls and into the pale sky beyond.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there. Minutes? Hours? Days? The world had begun to melt around the edges and he couldn't seem to keep track of his own thoughts. Now that was a rather unpleasant thought. He blinked slowly. It seemed he'd started to hallucinate too. That shuriken he hadn't managed to evade completely must have had some kind of poison on it. One moment he was sitting alone amidst the still and antisocial boulders, the next Shinichi seemed to be kneeling beside him.

Dream Shinichi looked so anxious that he had to smile. On an impulse he reached out with his functional arm and grabbed the surprisingly solid hallucination by the front of the shirt, pulling him closer and giving him a quick kiss. Dream Shinichi squeaked in surprise and turned pink just like how Real Shinichi would have and Kaito laughed out loud.

**Slug**

Shinichi was still frozen in surprise when the hand holding his shirt gave a particularly vicious yank and he toppled over with a yelp to land in the spy's lap. At this point he was beet red and it wasn't making it any less mortifying that Heiji was laughing his head off a mere few yards away. Even the slug they had borrowed from the former Hokage (a.k.a. the current tyrant master of the village's Medical Core) was giggling. At least the slug had the courtesy to be quiet about it.

It took a great deal more effort than it had any right to to pry himself out of the spy's grasp and maneuver said spy onto the back of the waiting slug. Treating a patient who apparently thought he was a hallucination he could do whatever he wanted with was not easy, but Shinichi wanted to get the poison out of Kaito's system as quickly as possible (for multiple reasons). He'd learned several techniques for cleansing poison, but all of them required both hands for signing and a great deal of concentration. By the time he'd managed to complete one uninterrupted he wanted to kill Heiji. Though the stupid swordsman would probably laugh himself to death before they reached the village anyway. And it would serve him right too, the unhelpful bastard.

**Chair**

When Kaito woke he was momentarily surprised by the presence of a ceiling over his head. He could have sworn he was supposed to be at the bottom of a canyon. Turning his head to the side, he realized that he was in Konoha's hospital. So they must have found him. Well, of course they had. His doves never failed him. He made a note to thank them later. And there was Shinichi asleep in a chair, looking a bit worn around the edges but peaceful. Though he'd probably wake up with one hell of a crick in the neck.

Kaito watched the other sleep for several moments just enjoying the way the sunlight pouring in through the window fell in gentle folds around the sleeping medic before he remembered why he'd been at the bottom of the canyon in the first place.

Shinichi was jerked awake by a crash and leapt to his feet, looking wildly around for the source of the noise before his gaze landed on Kaito. The spy had bolted out of bed only to find that his muscles didn't like the idea of sudden and violent movement. Wincing, he sat up and extracted his stiff legs from the sheets that had followed him off the hospital bed.

"What are you doing?" Shinichi demanded, hurrying around the bed and helping Kaito to his feet. "Just because the actual injuries are healed doesn't mean you can go gallivanting off just like that."

"How long was I out?" the spy demanded. The urgency in his voice made Shinichi pause.

"Two days. Why?"

"There's a raiding party headed this way," the other explained quickly. "Remember that renegade band everyone's been talking about? They've set their sights on Konoha. The raiding party's a test force. They'll be here tomorrow night. I've got details on their forces. I need to—"

"Come on," Shinichi cut in. "I'll help you. You haven't eaten anything in two days. You shouldn't overexert yourself."

The spy smiled and draped an arm over the medic's shoulders, leaning some of his weight on him. "Thanks."

They were almost to the door when Shinichi started, flushed, and turned quickly to catch his companion's free hand. "Do that again and I'll leave you here and go tell the Hokage to come here instead," he snapped, face the color of a tomato.

The spy gave him an innocent look. "What are you talking about? I didn't—hey, wait! No! I promise I won't do anything. Let's just get going, all right?"

**Repel**

The raiding party had not expected to find themselves the victims of an ambush. With the combined efforts of the village's occupants, they were repelled and the survivors fled into the night, hopefully to tell the rest of their comrades that Konoha was best left alone.

Kaito hadn't enjoyed being trapped in the hospital as everyone else was out doing things, but he hadn't had much choice in the matter. Even he wasn't bold enough to go against the sannin master of the Medical Core when she put her foot down. He felt slightly mollified when he was the first person invited to the celebration the villagers had decided to throw.

**Ice**

Kaito watched in great amusement as Hattori barely managed to duck the head-sized sphere of solid ice that grazed his shoulder before smashing into the tree behind him. He hadn't caught what the dark-skinned shinobi had said to Shinichi to get that reaction since he'd been talking to one of the Inuzukas (everyone seemed to want to thank him today), but he'd sure pay a lot to know. The medic had gone seven shades of red and there were several more icy projectiles lined up and ready for launch at the unrepentant offender.

**Sharing**

He had never been particularly good at sharing. From spotlight to information, he liked keeping everything to himself, giving out pieces only when it was absolutely necessary. It was a habit and a vice, he knew, but it was human too so he didn't think too much about it. He hadn't realized the feeling could translate to people, but when it came to Shinichi he found himself wishing he could keep the other with him all the time. It didn't help that every time Shinichi left on an assignment he couldn't be sure that he'd ever come back (of course Shinichi would have to choose to be a field medic, stubborn person that he was). But it was illogical and selfish and sometimes he really wished he wasn't the kind of person who noticed these things, but he was and it was probably a good thing in the long run.

That didn't mean he couldn't go over there now to where that stranger talking to Shinichi was standing a little too close and put an arm around his partner. Shinichi had looked like he wanted rescuing anyway.

**Luck**

The lands were growing restless again, spurred on by the rapidly growing numbers of the renegade band that had reached army size.

Every time Kaito left for a mission he was always gone for weeks. And every day he was away Shinichi would worry, because though he knew and believed in Kaito's skills he also knew that all it would take for everything to fall apart would be one unlucky moment. It was basically law among people of their kind to kill any spy found on the spot because any good spy always had dozens of ways to relay their information and the faster they were gotten rid of the less time they had to sneak that last crucial piece of intelligence to the enemy.

But there was nothing Shinichi could do about any of that so he would dive into his work and try not to think about it. Work was a good way to lose track of time and block out the what-ifs that liked to plague his overactive imagination. It was worst at night when he'd spend hours tossing and turning, drifting in and out of restless dreams where his ever active mind catalogued every worst case scenario it could lay its treacherous hands on.

It was only when he saw the spy return, spoke to him and felt the warmth of his embrace, that he could let the tension drain away like so much water through a sieve. And every time he thanked all the powers that be that Kaito had been lucky again.

**Surprise**

Ran had only been slightly surprised when she'd walked into the living room to find her best friend leaning against the wall by the window being (rather thoroughly) kissed by a certain spy. She was actually more surprised that she hadn't seen something of the sort sooner. Saguru on the other hand looked like he had gone into shock. Maybe she should have warned him?

Turning, she grabbed the frozen shinobi's arm and hauled him bodily back out the door.

**Leave**

"Are you just going to leave them there?" was the first thing Saguru managed to say a good five minutes after they'd left the house.

Ran gave him a quizzical look. "What else am I supposed to do? Watch?"

"_N—no_! That's not what I meant," Saguru spluttered, horrified. "It's just . . .I mean . . ."

"If Shinichi doesn't mind, no reason we should. And, well, I really think they love each other," she said much more quietly, a warm smile playing around her lips. "Besides," she added, an amused glint sparking in her eyes, "you know Shinichi'd probably die of embarrassment if he knew we were there. And I don't want to be responsible for my best friend's early demise."

**Obvious**

Being one-upped by Hattori was not how Hakuba had planned to start his latest mission. It was irritating enough that the reckless shinobi was his sole companion for the venture. But he just hadn't been able to stop himself from asking if the other had been aware of their former teammate's apparent relationship with a certain spy.

"Duh, it was obvious," Hattori had replied before his face split into a broad, gleeful grin. "You didn't notice? Really?"

And of course Hattori had gone on to laugh far harder at that than was appropriate. This was going to be a long trip.

**Mother**

Shinichi didn't know much about what mothers were supposed to be like. He hadn't spent much time with his own, and from what he could remember she'd always been rather eccentric, and Kogoro's wife had already moved out by the time he'd joined the Mouri household. So he'd been a bit nervous when he'd arrived at the bakery Kaito's mother ran. He had no idea what to expect.

The woman who greeted him when he entered the bakery however made him wonder why he'd been so nervous. She was just as cheerful as her son and had a smile that made you feel warm and at ease. She'd known who he was before he'd introduced himself (which was slightly disconcerting but associating with Kaito had somewhat prepared him for that) and offered him cake. The same kind of chocolate cake that Kaito had once brought to him, he noted with mild amusement.

When Kaito arrived he found his mother showing Shinichi some of her notes for possible new recipes as the medic offered suggestions. He hung back for a few minutes just to watch, committing the moment to memory before he interrupted them by dropping a wreath of flowers over each of their heads. Shinichi had jumped but all his mother did was laugh.

**Calm**

"He's calmer when he's around you," Aoko noted once when Shinichi was helping patch up a slash wound on her arm.

He gave her a disbelieving look. "Are you kidding?" Kaito was a lot of things, but calm wasn't a word Shinichi would have ascribed to him. Kaito was the kind of person who was always either doing something or planning to do something. Neither state struck him as worthy of the term 'calm' unless it was the calm before a storm.

Aoko laughed. "No, really. I've known him a long time and he's always bored easily. But I've seen him spend whole hours actually sitting still when he's watching you."

"You _have_?" Shinichi stared at her, feeling slightly perturbed. "_When_?" He certainly couldn't remember anything of the sort.

"Okay, I might be exaggerating a bit," Aoko admitted. "But not by much. I just mean . . .well, he doesn't seem to get bored as much when you're around."

Shinichi supposed that was a good thing, but he still didn't know what to think about the whole watching thing.

**Careless**

The only day Kaito was ever careless was the day he met, face to face, the man who had caused his father's death. His father had been entrusted back then with the protection of a scroll that contained knowledge of a forbidden jutsu. His killer had been one of those who sought the forbidden because he wanted power and didn't care about the cost. In the end his father had given up his life to destroy the cursed scroll and keep it out of harmful hands.

Kaito hadn't recognized the man upon sight—how could he? He'd never seen the man before. But he'd overheard the man telling an all too familiar story in an inn he and Shinichi were staying in on their way home from a delivery. His suspicions had been confirmed when he'd tracked the man into the forest and the man had recognized in him the image of his deceased father.

And he had laughed. The bastard had dared to laugh and say to his face that his father had been a fool.

It was the first time he'd ever wanted to kill someone.

They had fought and found that they were fairly evenly matched. His enemy had an impressive amount of raw power, but Kaito had skill. He'd always prided himself on being always a step ahead of everyone else. But in his anger and assurance he had misjudged his enemy. He hadn't realized that simple taunting could drive the man to launch a kamikaze assault just to finish him off.

It seemed his father's killer hadn't had all that much to live for.

He wished he'd seen it sooner.

**Worry**

Shinichi had been worried when Kaito had left him at the inn. There had been something off about his companion that evening, and the look in his eyes when he'd excused himself had been one the medic had never seen there before. It had been dark and maybe a bit—anticipatory? Pensive? Determined?

Whatever it had been, it left a cold feeling in Shinichi's stomach. He'd spent some time pacing back and forth across the floor in their room before he'd finally given in and headed out. It hadn't been hard to find Kaito. All he'd had to do was follow the flashing lights.

He picked up his pace, that horrible feeling growing inside his chest.

**Sacrifice**

The lives of shinobi were fraught with sacrifice. Their lives were not their own and they all knew that. Their lives belonged to their comrades and their people—to their home. Any one of them could be called upon at any time to give up everything in order to protect that.

Kaito knew this too. Even though his job involved remaining invisible to the enemy and had a mandate for the avoidance of confrontation, he too was a warrior. Sometimes he had to watch others in trouble and hope that they could get themselves out because the role he played demanded that he remain under cover. He hated when that happened, but he trusted his comrades to be able to take care of themselves. If ever they were really in over their heads, he didn't think he'd be able to stop himself from stepping in—but he was sure everyone would understand if it came to that.

But there were times when sacrifice was necessary because any other option would cost more than could be gained.

But sitting here, with Shinichi (whose arrival on the scene he hadn't even noticed) limp and bleeding in his arms, he realized that he'd never really understood that concept before. He'd thought of it in terms of himself. His own life was his to use as he pleased. If giving it up would save those important to him then it would be worth it. Perhaps he was too assured in his own skills, but it had never crossed his mind what it might mean to have someone else give up their life for his.

It was a terrible feeling. Deep and cutting in more ways than one.

He couldn't let it happen.

Shifting his companion as carefully as he could in order to get a better grip, he stood up and turned his steps back towards Konoha, ignoring the pain of his own burns. They weren't light and he knew he'd be practically incapacitated if he allowed himself to feel them, but he couldn't afford that. The boy he was carrying had taken the worst of it after all, he shouldn't be complaining. He would get them home in time no matter what. He knew this because he couldn't afford not to.

**Deal**

"Why didn't you just send a bird for help?" Shinichi demanded hoarsely from the hospital bed opposite Kaito's.

Indigo eyes that had been watching him every moment they were awake for the last five days blinked slowly before their owner let out a slightly strained but cheerful chuckle. "I didn't have the energy to perform a summoning."

"And you had the energy to run all the way here carrying me?" the other asked dryly. "You could have killed yourself pulling a stunt like that."

"So we're even," Kaito quipped before his expression grew grim and he pinned Shinichi with a look the other had never seen on his face before. "Don't ever do that to me again."

Shinichi was silent for a long moment before he found his own voice, quiet as it was. "What was I supposed to do? I couldn't just—I couldn't let you . . ." The last word stuck in his throat and refused to leave so he gave up on it, but his gaze remained locked with Kaito's and it was steady.

"How about we make a deal then?" the spy had said finally. "Both of us will do whatever we can to make sure neither of us ever has to do something like this again. Sound good?"

Shinichi smiled. "Yeah. It's a deal."

**Visit**

Visitors streamed in and out of their infirmary room the moment news got around that they were both well enough to see them. Kaito's mother arrived with a huge basket overflowing with fruits.

"Have to eat healthy," she told them as they both goggled at the massive number of fruits. "And just so you have some motivation, I'll bring you each a slice of cake for every six of these you eat."

"She must have bought too much fruit when she was at the market again," the spy declared once the door had shut behind her. "This way she can get rid of them without wasting them."

"No one buys that much of anything by accident," Shinichi countered. "She's worried the hospital food isn't healthy enough."

"Or both. Two birds with one stone, right?"

"Kaito . . ."

Ran came by almost as often as Kaito's mother did. She'd taken it upon herself to keep them updated on current events—something they were both extremely grateful for. Hakuba and Heiji usually came with her, but after the third time they'd started arguing loud enough to get the three of them kicked out she took to bringing only one of them at a time.

Others came and went as well. Aoko became a familiar face around the hospital and even Koizumi had swung by. But by far the most memorable visitor, in Kaito's opinion anyway, was the strawberry blond woman with the too-sharp eyes whom Shinichi had introduced to him as Miyano Shiho.

She had come into the room and stared at them each for several minutes without a word in a manner that would have given the bravest of warriors chills. When she finally did speak, it was only to say, "I see stupidity is contagious. Try and cure yourselves of it soon. I don't like funerals."

For one of the only times in his entire life, Kaito felt completely flummoxed. "Ooookaaay, quite the sunny personality, isn't she?"

Shinichi grinned weakly. "It's . . .her way of saying she's glad we're okay."

"Right. I'll take your word for that."

**Grave**

He always brought white flowers to his father's grave. The breed changed depending on the season, but the color always remained the same. It was the color that contained all colors without showing anything.

Footsteps sounded behind him but he didn't turn. He didn't have to look to know who it was.

"You know, I've always understood why he did it, but sometimes I can't help but wonder if it was really worth it. If it really was a foolish thing to do, to die for a secret. I'm not even sure he knew exactly what was in that scroll, and now no one ever will. For all I know, it could have been something stupid. And then it would have all been for nothing."

Shinichi was quiet for a long moment before he spoke. "I've always believed that doing what you think is right is never foolish. You're right that you can never know for sure, but that works both ways."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

**TBC**

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A.N: My sister says I should have used the memorial but my prompt word was 'grave' so I stuck to it. Just one more set and this'll be done. I rather like working with this setup though so I may end up writing some non-drabble stories with it someday—maybe write an actual mission or something. Anyway, thanks for reading!


	4. Set 4: Home

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK or Naruto.

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**Farseeing Eyes**

_Drabble Set 4: Home_

**Rose**

Kaito's mother had always kept a small rose garden for as far back as he could remember. It was full of roses of all colors and sizes and it made a beautiful sight for anyone coming to visit her bakery. The only color of rose she never grew was red.

Kaito had asked her why, all considered red roses were practically the emblem of what roses were meant to be. She had paused in the middle of mixing up a fresh batch of cake batter and smiled a small, sad smile. Cleaning off her hands, she'd led him around to the back of the house and shown him a small birdbath he hadn't even realized they'd had. Beside it a single rose bush grew, its blossoms a deep, rich crimson.

"Your father planted this when we got married," she told him.

**Trip**

"We're going on a trip," Kaito announced as he barged unannounced into Shinichi's room. Still half asleep, Shinichi stared blankly at him before answering with a highly intelligent, "Huh?"

"It's a vacation," the spy clarified, producing a pack out of nowhere and stuffing some of Shinichi's clothes into it. "We've got four days and I know the perfect place to go. It's this lake I found that hardly anyone goes to. It's got an awesome view!"

"But we have work to do," Shinichi protested, sitting up. "Or at least I do."

His companion flashed him a rather smug grin. "No you don't. You've been granted four days leave—as have I. So hurry up and get changed. There's not a moment to lose! I'll go see what we've got for provisions."

**Sunset**

They had spent the day on the gently sloping banks of the lake talking about anything and everything. It was the most time they'd had to relax in a while and Shinichi knew he was going to miss it when it came time to go back to the village.

"Look! It's time," Kaito said suddenly, raising an arm and gesturing towards the lake. Shinichi followed his gaze and his breath caught in his throat as the glimmering waters of the lake suddenly blazed gold at the touch of the setting sun. In an instant the entire lake had turned into a pool of molten sunlight to match the fiery oranges and reds of the sky. It was breathtaking.

And the thought crossed his mind that he wished he could spend the rest of his life like this.

When Kaito leaned over and kissed him he wrapped his arms around the other's neck and kissed back. And when Kaito pushed him back onto the blankets they'd been sitting on he found with some surprise that he wasn't nervous at all.

**Medicine**

It had been a simple medicine delivery. The destination was a bit on the distant side, but both Shinichi and Heiji had gone farther before and the area was a reputedly safe one anyway, hence the reason it had only been the two of them. So how had it gone so wrong?

If he hadn't known better, he would have thought the ambush had been set up specifically for the two of them. Which wouldn't make a great deal of sense. Why go to all that trouble to attack two shinobi delivering _medicine_? If they'd wanted the medicine, they'd made a grave miscalculation since the two were returning, having already completed the delivery. It would also have been much easier for them to simply ask for medicine. After all, most people weren't heartless enough to deny the sick aid when asked for it. But whatever their goals these people must have done some research because they knew way too much about both his and Heiji's fighting styles for this to be a coincidence.

On the other hand, they didn't seem to be here to kill them. Shinichi wasn't sure if that was a blessing or not as he was hauled away in the wrong direction for home. He hoped Heiji was all right. Last he'd seen his friend had been unconscious but he hadn't appeared too badly injured.

**Medic**

Lips pressed into a thin line, Shinichi shoved the dagger away from his throat and snapped, "If all you needed was a medic to look at your injured you should have just asked. Healing is what I do. You don't need to threaten me."

**Right**

"Leave?" The leader of the renegade ninja drawled the word out with a quirk to his lips that put Shinichi on edge.

Blue eyes narrowed. "Everyone who needed medical attention has been seen to. That means I no longer have any reason to stay here."

The man's eyebrows rose, stretching the scars that marred what might once have been a pleasant face (with a different personality looking out from behind it anyway). "And you think I'd just let you walk away now that you know where and who we are?"

Shinichi stared.

"I was going to just kill you," the man continued before he could say anything. "But it crossed my mind that we still don't have anyone with medical knowledge. So it seems you'll be more useful alive."

Shinichi gaped. He couldn't believe he was hearing this! Who even thought like this? "What makes you think I'd do _anything_ for you if you trap me here?"

The bastard had the audacity to laugh. "Because that's what your type of people do. You've said so yourself, haven't you?"

And damnit but the man was right. It wouldn't be the underlings' fault that their leader was an amoral bastard. He'd seen real concern in them for the wellbeing of their comrades and he knew now that many of them were only there because their families had been exiled from their villages after the last war for being somehow tied to people who had been considered traitors. Still . . .

"You have no right to keep me here!" he snapped, slamming his hands down on the table and shooting to his feet.

"We'll see about that."

Seething, Shinichi whirled around and stormed towards the door. He _would _leave and he _would_ get home. It was only a matter of time.

**March**

He had been so angry that he had tried marching straight out through the little fortress's front gates, forgetting for the moment that he'd spent all night working and didn't have any chakra left on top of being just plain, old fashioned tired. He was reminded in a hurry. That had landed him in this large if sparsely furnished room with a window that didn't deserve the name. On the other hand his guards seemed fairly happy to give him anything he asked for as long as it didn't involve letting him out. He'd noted a bit sourly that at least half the guards didn't seem able to bring themselves to look him in the eyes. So at least half of them had some decency left even if they didn't have the nerve to go against their leader's orders.

**Delusion**

His second attempt to leave would have been successful had he not had the rotten luck to run right into the leader himself on his way out—and right when he'd neared the outskirts of the encampment too. Of course it had to be near the end when he was already feeling more than a little worn (he wouldn't have minded a crack at the man if he'd been feeling fresh). He still didn't know what technique he'd been hit with. It was something he'd never seen or heard of before and all he could remember was that it had felt like being burned alive from the inside out. His memory was a blank for several days after that, full of strange, blurred impressions of things he couldn't distinguish as being dreams or reality. Later, in his more lucid moments he realized he was delirious, but most of the rime he wouldn't have noticed if the sky had fallen.

When he finally came back to himself he found that he was back in his room (prison) with a mouth and throat that felt desert dry and limbs that weighed a million tons. Each. Still, he managed to drag himself out of bed and to the table where someone had left food and water. Afterward he slept the dreamless sleep of the dead. When he woke he repeated the process and hoped that whatever was ailing him went away soon because he was wasting time and he wanted more than anything else to be home.

**Impulse**

When Hattori Heiji first staggered back into Konoha, Kaito had still been out on his last assignment and didn't hear about it until he returned five days later. By that time the dark-skinned shinobi had been released from the hospital and was ready to run off in search of the friend he'd lost. His teammates had restrained him despite their own concerns because blindly running around after an enemy they knew nothing about could only end badly.

Kaito agreed with them, even if his own first impulse had run along similar lines (_five days_! He should have known five days ago!). He'd always been both a meticulous planner and a man of impulse. And he could be both at once thanks to his own quick thinking. There were few things more satisfying than seeing a complex plan bloom just the way he'd meant it to, but finding ways to bring a plan to fruition despite unexpected setbacks was definitely one of them. Still, there were things that shouldn't be rushed.

**Window**

He was really starting to hate that window. It was way too small. But at the same time it kept dragging his attention back to itself with the unrelenting grip that the flame had on the helpless moth. Like that flame the strip of sky he could just barely see through the window's miserly grasp was mesmerizing. A flawless blue that faded to purple and orange as evening fell before taking on the dark, velvet qualities of night. In the morning it was all cream pink and yellow before becoming once more that endless, boundless blue.

He blinked and levered himself into a sitting position as something fluttered past the window. Making his way carefully to the window, he leaned up and peered outside. The flutter came again and suddenly there was a small, white bird outside. It spotted him and doubled back to his window with a bout of excited coos. It had only just reached him when a hunting arrow whizzed by, clipping it on the wing.

Letting out a terrified trill it squeezed itself through the window slot and half fell half flew into Shinichi's arms. He caught it automatically. Its quivering calmed eventually as he held it, wondering how exactly you were supposed to comfort a bird. Once it had recollected itself the bird wriggled out of his grasp and hopped onto his shoulder with a happy coo.

"Were you . . .looking for me?" he asked hesitantly, looking as best he could at the creature on his shoulder.

He could have sworn it winked.

**Troop**

Kaito leaned back against the tree they'd chosen as their meeting spot and absently juggled seven smoke bombs and four kunai knives as he reviewed his 'troops'. Ran, Heiji, and Hakuba had arrived first with one Toyama Kazuha in tow. They had been followed shortly by Aoko and—somewhat to Kaito's surprise—Koizumi Akako. She hadn't shown any indication that she'd be coming on their little secret venture, but her talents would certainly be useful. The Hondo boy who'd replaced Shinichi with his old squad arrived last, still looking like he wasn't sure this was a good idea, and their ranks were complete. Their numbers were admittedly small, he thought, but to someone like himself who was much more accustomed to working alone it felt like a horde. He just hoped none of them would get in his—or each other's—way. That was the last thing they'd need. Then again, he supposed they'd be a pretty poorly trained lot of ninja if they couldn't make use of their newly established team status.

**Voice**

"You!"

Shinichi spun around from where he'd been trying to get a good look at what was going on through the pitiful excuse for a window (again) to find the renegade leader barreling towards him with a murderous look on his face. The sudden movement upset his still recovering sense of balance, but at that point it was the least of his worries as calloused hands closed around his neck. The man was snarling at him, demanding to know how he'd 'told them where they were' and other accusations of a similar breed, but Shinichi was having a hard time hearing him through the roaring in his ears. His vision was going splotchy as he struggled to pry the hands off his throat and _breathe_. He knew it was a lost cause even as he dug his nails into the madman's wrists, searching for the right nerve. Still, he had to try. He had a home to go back to—people he couldn't leave behind—and he was _not_ going to die here!

Of course, that little voice of reason in the back of his head observed, it didn't look like it was going to be his choice.

Suddenly the hands disappeared and air rushed back into his lungs, sending more flashes bursting across his field of vision. And he could hear a voice—an oh so familiar voice he'd thought he'd never hear again—asking him if he was all right.

**Face**

Shinichi's knees gave out and he slid to the floor, gasping for breath as the spots in his vision began to clear.

"What—did you do to him?" he panted, staring at the prone figure at his feet.

"Nothing," Kaito replied, prodding the man with his foot disinterestedly. "Whatever's going on in there, he's doing it to himself. Judging from the awful look on his face, he must have led one unwholesome life. I doubt he'll find his way back for a good long time, if he ever does."

"Find his way back?" Shinichi repeated in confusion.

"Let's just say he's probably wishing he'd been a better person."

**Throw**

The relief hit like a ton of bricks and Shinichi thought that if he wasn't still feeling woozy he just might be relieved enough to forget about dignity and being embarrassed and throw himself into his partner's arms. As it was all he could manage was a rather silly grin that seemed to add to Kaito's concern rather than taking away from it.

"Are you hurt?" he asked as he helped Shinichi to his feet.

"No, I'm fine," the medic replied and meant it. He was tired and off kilter, but right then, at that moment, he knew that everything was going to be all right.

Kaito gave him a disbelieving look then shook his head and pulled one of Shinichi's arms over his shoulders before wrapping a steadying arm around his waist. "Come on. Let's get to the roof."

"The roof?" Shinichi repeated in surprise. "Why the roof?"

**Air**

Flying with Kaito and his glider was exciting. Standing with—or rather, being held up by (because he knew _his_ feet couldn't feel anything but empty air)—the spy on what amounted to nothing hundreds of feet over the heads of the renegades was an _experience_. Shinichi just wasn't sure of what kind yet. No wonder everyone down there was staring. He'd be staring too if he wasn't trying his utmost best _not_ to look at their own feet and what they were not standing on.

Kaito on the other hand seemed perfectly relaxed with one arm around Shinichi and the opposite hand in his pocket. The broad, sharp-edged grin on his face made Shinichi think of dorsal fins. Kaito was the only person he'd ever met who could grin angrily.

"So, can you all hear me?" the spy asked, his voice somehow amplified so that it echoed throughout the makeshift fortress and the surrounding camp. "Good. You have two choices as I see it. You can stay here and wait for our squads to arrive and execute you, or you can throw away your weapons and turn yourselves in to us. We promise you won't be executed if you choose the latter option, though some of you may have to do some prison time depending on your crimes. So what's it going to be?"

"They're afraid of the leader," Shinichi hissed at him, his voice coming out a bit hoarsely.

Kaito glanced down at him then turned back to his spellbound audience. "And if you're worried about that excuse for a man you followed here, don't be. He won't be bothering any of us for a while."

His voice was light but Shinichi could almost see the nervous ripple going through the crowd below.

**Spirit**

"They seem to think I'm some kind of divine spirit with supernatural powers or something," Kaito remarked, watching as the renegades scurried to pack up the camp.

"Yeah, well, the whole standing on thin air thing probably helped."

"Hmm, you're probably right. I knew perfecting that would come in handy."

**Question**

"Are you all right?"

Heiji stopped with his mouth still partially open in the process of uttering the very question he'd just been asked. For a moment he couldn't quite grasp the meaning of the words. They just seemed so out of place. After all, he wasn't the one who'd been held in enemy territory for the last week and a half. Eventually he found his voice but all he could say was, "I'm fine."

He wanted to apologize, but he just knew his friend would give him that _look_ and ask what he was apologizing for with all honesty. So instead he shook his head and announced that he would go keep an eye on their—for lack of a better word—captives.

**History**

Kaito mused idly that they had definitely made history. It wasn't every day a handful of ninja, none of whom had reached jounin status yet, brought home an army's worth of prisoners. Of course it also created a lot of problems. Thankfully the renegades seemed fairly content to build their own residences for the time being and none of them showed any violent inclinations. According to Shinichi, most of them had really only been renegades because they'd felt they had no other choice. It didn't excuse the things they'd done but it meant there was hope for them yet. And that was always a good thing.

Messengers had already been dispatched to deliver the news of current events to their fellow shinobi villages. It was expected that their envoys would arrive shortly. The leader had also been picked up and now lay comatose in a prison cell.

However, the nice little wrap-up wasn't saving their little rescue party from the lectures that their assorted superiors, friends, and families had already begun to lavish on them. At least most of them had decided to save it for after they were all rested and recovered from the journey. His own mother was probably one of the only members of those three categories who hadn't said a word. Her quiet, understanding look however had left him feeling slightly guilty about leaving without a word whereas the lectures had only made him laugh (which got him yelled at more, but if it didn't bother him the first time it certainly wasn't going to the second time—or third, or fourth).

**Hospital**

"You know, I think I'm starting to hate hospitals."

Kaito raised an eyebrow at that. "Coming from a medic, that's just a little bit strange."

Shinichi considered this for a moment. "Let me amend that. I'm starting to hate being stuck here, especially considering I'm not actually hurt or sick."

"Says he who couldn't walk in a straight line this morning," the spy drawled.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "It'll pass. I'm sure you got yourself a look at the results of the checkup. I just need time for my chakra network to finish straightening itself out. I don't have to be here for that."

"It's not _that_ bad."

"As I recall, you booked it out of here the moment you could move last time you were here. I distinctly remember hearing complaints about it."

"Aw, but it was boring. Besides, you are far more fortunate than I for you have something I sorely lacked due to certain mission schedules of the time."

"And that would be . . .?"

Grinning, Kaito leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "You have me to keep you company."

**House**

"Hey Shinichi. If I got a place of my own, would you come and live with me?"

Shinichi looked up from the book he'd been reading, not particularly surprised to find his formerly locked window now open and Kaito perched a bit precariously on the sill. "You're moving out?"

"Well, my mom's been implying that she wants to turn the bakery into an actual restaurant, which apparently involves converting my room into an additional pantry, among other things. So? Will you come live with me?"

Shinichi looked back down, face faintly tinged pink. "I . . .think I'd like that . . .if you really want me to."

Kaito's face broke out into a broad grin. "Great. Now we just have to go house hunting."

The medic coughed faintly. "Actually, um, there _is_ an empty house at the end of the street . . ."

The spy tilted his head in thought then blinked in surprise. "Oh, I forgot about that. But I thought you didn't like that house."

"It wasn't the house I didn't like," the other said softly. "It was just . . .too big for one person I guess. It's probably a mess right now and all, but, if you don't mind, it would save time . . .?"

"Sounds good to me," Kaito laughed. "So, do you think the Mouris will mind if I take you away?"

"I don't see why they would."

"Well, let's find out then, shall we?

**Home**

The house had indeed been a mess. Years of disuse did not lend themselves well to cleanliness. Clearing it out and redecorating had taken ages and a great deal of effort, but it was kind of fun too with all their friends pitching in with their own ideas. That had started more than a handful of disputes, but that was just the way they were.

Now, seated on the living room sofa with a large book in hand and a mug of hot coffee on the low table before him, it was hard to imagine that the place had ever been anything but pristine and cozy. He couldn't really remember how it had felt before he'd last moved out of it but he was sure it hadn't felt half this comfortable back then.

The sofa beneath him shifted as someone landed on the seat beside him and he let out a small grunt of surprise as said person pulled him into their lap.

"You're back early," he noted, leaning back into the embrace with his eyes still on his book.

Kaito chuckled. "There wasn't all that much to report. It's awfully boring most places right now. So I thought I'd hurry back to somewhere that wasn't."

"Have you talked to your mother yet? She's been asking for you since two days ago. Something about a missing pot . . .?"

"Ah . . .that. I'll go talk to her first thing tomorrow."

Shinichi paused at the nervous note he detected in his companion's voice then decided he'd rather not know and went back to reading, a faint smile making its way onto his face.

The house that you lived in, Shinichi had found, wasn't a home until you were living in it with people you loved. He'd heard the old saying many times that home was where the heart was, but he hadn't really understood it until now.

**Owari**

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A.N: Well, that's everything. So what did you think? I do like writing this universe, so I may do more some day, but it'll be put up as a separate story if I do since I like where this ended. Although I have to figure out what I'd want to write about first ^^U. Anyway, thanks for reading! And special thanks to everyone who reviewed. It was very encouraging ^_^


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